On June 4th, some 250 Israeli business, industry and public service leaders gathered in Sapir Academic College in southern Israel, to discuss the challenges of reviving the area and overcoming the destructive effects of the war that started on October 7th on communities and the infrastructure.
Deeply involved in the economy of the area, both from the industrial and the agronomical sides, Haifa Group supported the event.
In the opening session, Haifa CEO Motti Levin stressed the vital connection between independent agricultural production and national security. He portrayed the importance of innovation and the introduction of new technologies in making agricultural practices profitable and sustainable.
In his talk, Motti announced the establishment of an investment fund focusing on ag-tech, food-tech and sustainability, in the amount of tens of millions of dollars: "It will have a tremendous impact on the revival of the region," he said.
Levin also announced that the Haifa Group will establish two innovative agricultural research and training farms in southern Israel, one in the western Negev, the area that suffers the most from the 7.10 terror attack and the consequent war situation, and the other one in the eastern Negev, a major region of greenhouse agriculture: "Our vision is to establish an educational and research center that will connect the future generation of farmers with leading start-ups in the agro-tech world. The goal is to provide students with advanced technological knowledge and tools, to develop their skills and prepare them to be leaders in the field of future agriculture."
Levin also talked about the establishment of the "Bluemmonia" (blue ammonia) plant with an investment of about 300 million dollars, 80% of which has already been built. The production of Bluemmonia utilizes natural gas, which is found in abundance in Israel today. This is one of the leading and most significant projects in the Israeli industry, which will provide a strategic raw material with a decisive weight in maintaining food security based on sustainable products.